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My collection of shredded chicken, from leftover roasted chickens, was growing and I wanted to use some of it to clear some space in my freezer. (Ice cream season is coming and I will need that space!) After searching around for a while I came across the concept of a king ranch chicken casserole which sounded really good. A chicken ranch casserole seems to be a creamy chicken casserole with texmex flavours that is layered like a lasagna using corn tortillas. I had been thinking about doing something with a creamy poblano sauce for a while and this seemed like the perfect time to.

Most of the recipes that I came across called for canned creamed soups to form the base of the sauce but I was determined to do it without them. I started by sauteing the vegetables in more butter than I would normally use so that I could sprinkle in some flour to form a roux and thicken the chicken stock. I finished the creamy part of the casserole off with some milk and sour cream for a bit of tanginess. For the texmex flavours, I used those poblano peppers and some jalapeno peppers, canned chopped green chilies, chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano and cilantro. With all of the chili heat in the dish I thought that some corn would go well to take the edge off. Of course it is really hard to not top off a texmex dish like this with some ooey gooey melted cheese.

The king ranch chicken casserole was easy to make and it was super tasty! I over filled my baking dish and some of the sauce bubbled over. Luckily I always bake things like this on a baking sheet so I was saved from having to clean up a big mess in the oven. The chicken casserole was nice and creamy and cheesy and good! This dish is packed with so many of the texmex flavours that I like so much and it sure is a winner in my books. I am looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for lunches over the next few days.

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the onion, red pepper and poblano pepper and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic jalapenos, chili powder and cumin and saute unto fragrant, about a minute.
4. Mix in the flour and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the liquid thickens.
6. Add the chicken, tomatoes, green chilies, milk and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the corn, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, salt and pepper.
8. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan.
9. Top with a layer formed with 1/2 of the tortillas.
10. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the sauce.
11. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the the cheese.
12. Top with a layer of the remaining tortillas.
13. Top with a layer of the remaining sauce.
14. Top with a layer of the remaining cheese.
15. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Genius! I have some frozen shredding chicken that I want to use...this is it! Bravo on not using canned cream soups. I can see this dish on my dinner table this week. You don't mention how much chicken to use, but I can guess. I'm sure you'll be posting how much anytime soon.

Yum....every girl in Texas and Oklahoma has King Ranch Chicken in her recipe bag of tricks; glad to see it has wandered north of the border. Really one of the more delicious tastes treats my mother in law ever made.

I was going to ask too how much chicken to use, but others have already mentioned the missing ingredient. I have a HUGE bag of cooked chicken breast (saved up from all the rotissertie chicken I've bought -- I only eat the dark meat) in the freezer and this is such a wonderful way to use it.

I have a rotisserie chicken begging to be baked into this wonderful casserole. I loved that you took the time to make everything from scratch and didn't rely on shortcuts. I think my family will love this. Thanks for posting!

Sounds yummy. Just thought I'd share that if you don't want to go to the trouble of layering you can always use crushed tortilla chips and just mix it all together. (I save the random pieces in the bottom of the bags that are too small for anything else and stick them in the freezer so they don't go stale...when I have enough I make a casserole.)I made something pretty similar to this last night. We top it with guacamole and sour cream and eat it using chips as our eating utensil...yummy!

Oh my, if this isn't right up my alley....I just love the idea of using those tortillas in the casserole, plus all those tex-mexy spices. Yum. And, btw, those pistachio-lamb chops look beyond divine! I lovelovelove the chops and racks (and their prices) from Costco. I'm going to do the pistachios next time. Thanks, as always.

I actually will cook the chicken in my crock pot with chicken broth and when I get home, it just falls apart! I use it for chicken tacos, or my soup, but I think my family would go ga ga over this dish!

KING RANCH CASSEROLE!! This was the first meal I ever made by myself. My mom used to cook this, and it was always my favorite, so when I set out to make dinner for my roommates in college when I was 19, I called up my mom and got her recipe. It's a lot like this one! I should crack it out again! It always reminds me of home :)

I just wanted you to know that I made this last night for my hubby and son. They DEVOURED it!

To help make it a little more diet friendly, I replaced Pam for the butter, used half the cheese and replaced it with reduced fat, replaced the milk and sour cream for non-fat versions, and cut the number of tortillas to 4 instead of 10.

Seriously, I've never seen them eat something so quickly. Thanks again for posting this!! This will be one of those recipes that I'll know by heart before I know it. :)

It's kind of hilarious that you posted this...my mom grew up about 9 miles from King Ranch (yes, it's a real place in south texas) and it's where the recipe came from. I didn't think anyone from anywhere North of Dallas would know about this. Especially with the actual name!!

Love this recipe with all the fresh vegetables in it and no cream soup or flour tortillas! I have made this recipe several times and everyone has asked for the recipe! I double layer the corn tortillas & the taste of corn comes out a little better! Thx so much Kevin for coming up with this recipe!

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.